Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke believes that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) would not need Josh Hazlewood to play throughout the tournament. Hazlewood, who had picked up an injury ahead of the Ashes, has been ruled out since then and is most likely to miss the first half of IPL 2026 for RCB.
One injury after the other, and Josh Hazlewood has not been able to recover despite his determination to play in all three formats of the game, unlike teammate Mitchell Starc, who has given up on T20Is to focus on his Test career. Hazlewood is still under rehab, and his return remains a major uncertainty.
However, what remains the biggest concern for the reigning champions ahead of the IPL 2026 season is whether the Australian speedster will be able to make a comeback throughout the season. He was their champion bowler in the previous edition and finished with 22 scalps across 12 games for the defending champions.
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I don’t think he needs to be fit for the entire tournament-Michael Clarke
Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke has opined that RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood, whose availability has been a growing concern, does not need to be available for them throughout the tournament. RCB kicks off their campaign on the 28th of March against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at their home ground, the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Clarke interestingly opined that it would be okay even if Hazlewood gets fit and returns for the latter half of RCB’s campaign; that is when the main business is to be done, by which he meant the qualifying stage and the knockouts.
“Josh Hazlewood is a big one, though. I reckon it sounds like he’s not over in India. I reckoned that could be defining. If he’s fit for that tournament. I don’t think he needs to be fit for the entire tournament.
“Probably the backend; if they can get him up and going and bowling as well as he can, I reckon he’s a match-winner. For RCB, I think they’ll be super confident in what they have achieved. I think Josh is a big player for them,” he said on the ‘Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.’
Australian cricketer declares RCB as the most consistent unit in the IPL
Another Australian cricketer, Peter Hatzoglou, has emphasized the importance of consistency within a unit. He identified the defending champions as one of the franchises showing some remarkable consistency not only from their players but also from the coaches and other staff.
“Consistency and having a consistent core account for a lot. Not only players and coaches but also staff around the group count for so much in setting up the squad for success,” he noted.
He then continued praising Josh Hazlewood in the RCB den and his contributions behind RCB’s maiden IPL triumph. He looked impressed by the unified consistency throughout the RCB management.
“RCB, Josh Hazlewood has been a champion there, and they’ve got that consistency throughout the whole organisation, which sets you up for success,” he said. (via the aforementioned source)
Who can be Josh Hazlewood’s replacement in RCB’s Playing XI?
Josh Hazlewood is surely not arriving to play the first half of the tournament, and being the defending champions, the Royal Challengers Bangalore side cannot compromise with their start. Hazlewood has to be replaced by some player, and who RCB would pick for the role remains a huge question.
Royal Challengers will have the likes of Nuwan Thushara, who played a handful of games previously in the IPL, and will also have debutant pacer Jacob Duffy. Duffy is much of a Hazlewood-like bowler who often offers a lot of bounce on tracks and some movement with the new ball.
However, they will also get the chance to start with Jacob Bethell in the playing XI, but under such circumstances, they will have to keep faith in their Indian bowling attack, which will be headed by the likes of experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya.
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